Tinian Democratic Party wins in the special Senate poll

Tinian Democratic Party’s bet to the special senatorial election beat out three other candidates in the polls held last Saturday in the island municipality to complete the term of former Sen. Herman M. Manglona who resigned last September.

Jose M. Dela Cruz, board member of the Commonwealth Development Authority, won by a margin of 42 votes over closest rival Board of Public Lands Chair and former Sen. Manuel P. Villagomez, who ran under the Republican Party banner.

Other candidates were Independent Richard U. Hofschneider, a former legal assistant in the House of Representatives, and Francisco B. Evangelista of the Reform Party.

Final results of the election that drew more than 800 voters will be announced on Thursday after the absentee ballots totaling to 42 have been tallied, according to officials.

Sen. David M. Cing said the Tinian Democratic Party candidate is expected to win most of those votes coming from students attending college in the mainland as they have been very supportive of the local scholarship program.

Last Saturday’s political exercise capped more than four months of replacing Mr. Manglona who resigned from the Senate in September 1999 after pleading guilty to charges of bribery and mail fraud filed against him in federal court involving U.S.-funded projects when he was still a mayor of Tinian. He is now serving a two-year jail sentence in Arizona federal prison.

Mr. Dela Cruz will serve out the last two years of the four-year term of his predecessor who was elected into office in November 1997.

Mr. Cing, who won a fresh mandate for another four-year term in the last midterm elections in November 1999, welcomed the addition of Mr. Dela Cruz who complete the three-seat representation in the Senate for Tinian.

“This is a new block of Tinian politicians who will work in unity for the benefit of our community,” he said in an interview, describing the alliance as “a melting pot” owing to different backgrounds of the island’s elected leaders.

Aside from him and Mr. Dela Cruz, Sen. Joaquin G. Adriano, Rep. Norman S. Palacios and Mayor Francisco M. Borja complete the new block whom Mr. Cing praised for “working excellently to ensure benefits for the Tinian people.”

He added’ “This is a sweet victory and it shows our conviction.”